Thank you to everyone who read, commented or wrote to me about my recent opinion piece. I was concerned about mixing food and politics but all of you put my concerns to rest. During the past week I’ve received an overwhelming amount of support and encouragement. But I was most touched by those of you who shared your personal stories with me.

Please continue to share your stories and speak out about how our governor’s policies are affecting Mainers. We have got to make sure we are heard and not just swept under the carpet. LePage has to be held accountable for his actions and constantly reminded that he also represents the 61% of us that didn’t vote for him.

Now to truly thank all of you I’ve decided to share my beloved Chocolate Espresso Cheesecake Brownie recipe. This recipe has been perfected after several different tests and now I can say with confidence that these are the best darn brownies I’ve ever had. Seriously. I was hoping to take some gorgeous shots of the finished brownies but then my hungry family devoured them in no time at all and is now demanding a second batch!

(Also for those of our who have been asking about the apple pie recipe, it will be posted next.)

Chocolate Espresso Cheesecake Brownies

Brownie Ingredients:

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh brewed espresso (brewed coffee will also work but make sure it isn’t flavored)

1/3 cup cocoa (preferably Dutch-processed)

1/2 cup of boiling water

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon table salt

6 ounces Callebaut Espresso chunks (if not available use any other bittersweet espresso chocolate. I recommend Ghirardelli Espresso Escape Intense Dark Chocolate Bar. If using the bar break it up into 1/2 inch chunks)

Cheesecake Ingredients:

8 ounces of cream cheese, at room temperature

1 large egg yolk

5 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1) Place over rack at lowest position and pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Line a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with a foil sling. Then spray with cooking spray.

3) Whisk cocoa, fresh espresso and boiling water in a large bowl. Then add the finiely chopped unsweetened chocolate and whisk until melted. Whisk in the melted butter and oil. Next add eggs, yolks, and vanilla and continue to whisk until smooth. Whisk in sugar until fully combined. Next fold in the four and salt. Finally, fold in the espresso chocolate chunks.

4) Pour batter into prepared pan and set aside.

5) Mix together the cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar and vanilla. Stir until smooth and incorporated.

6) Distribute the cream cheese in dollops on top of the brownie batter. Then with a knife swirl the mixture throughout the brownies.

7) Bake brownies for 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted between the edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Make sure not to over bake! Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 45 minutes. Then remove the brownies from the pan and allow to cool fully on wire rack. Enjoy!